Judge ticks off lawyer of man accused of molesting young
son of good friend
SINGAPORE : The lawyer representing a 44-year-old man on
trial for sexually abusing an eight-year-old boy was ticked off by
the trial judge for asking the victim complicated questions during
a cross-examination.
At the High Court on Tuesday, Justice Kan Ting Chiu told
lawyer Wee Pan Lee that his questions were "difficult to answer
(and) can be misconstrued as an acceptance ... he is a child and
even I have difficulty understanding".
Mr Wee, who was acting on behalf of Peter Lee Chee Soon, had
earlier asked the boy via video link about the number of times he
had been left alone with the accused.
Lee, a taxi driver, is on trial for allegedly performing fellatio
on the boy, who was four years old in 2005.
On the advice of Justice Kan, Mr Wee broke down his questions to
make them simpler for the Primary Three student to
understand.
As a plump, bespectacled Lee sat in the dock taking down notes, Mr
Wee disputed the charges, saying the former had been asked to look
after the boy on three occasions and not six as claimed by the
family.
At no time was Lee alone with the boy during the time of the
alleged offence, as Lee's mother was also present in the flat in
Yishun, the lawyer said.
Furthermore, Lee did not perform fellatio but had instead
"accidentally" bitten the boy's penis, said Mr Wee, adding that at
no time had his client intentionally taken off the boy's
trousers.
"Not correct," the boy said through an interpreter, looking visibly
tired from the day-long questioning.
Lee originally faced five other charges which included outraging
the modesty the boy's sister, now 18 and aunt, 20.
These charges have, however, been stood down.
He is now out on bail of $80,000. If convicted, he could be jailed
for life, or jailed up to 10 years and fined.
The hearing continues on Wednesday.
- CNA /ls
